IITs drop places on excellence scale-08/09/2010

08/09/2010

IITs drop places on excellence scale

Four out of seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have slipped in the QS World University Rankings this year against last year. QS ranks 500 institutions across the world.



IIT-Bombay, which has been ranked the top most among 10 Indian institutions, fell 24 places to 187 this year. It was ranked 163 last year.

IIT-Delhi, too, slipped 21 notches to secure the 202nd position against 181 last year, while IIT-Guwahati fell from 401 to 501 this year.

"We see these rankings as a feedback of how others see our institution. While these rankings do not really impact our behaviour as an institute, we will have to look into the factors which led IIT-Bombay fall from the 163 position to 187," said Professor Devang Khakhar, Director, IIT-Bombay.



IIT-Madras, on the other hand, climbed 22 positions to reach 262 against 284 last year. IITRoorkee too climbed 50 notches to reach 401 against 451 last year.

While IIT-Kharagpur secured the 311 position after figuring at 335 last year, IIT-Kanpur fell 12 places to 249 position against 237 last year.

"The number of Indian institutions in our rankings has fallen, as has their position.



IIT-Delhi has fallen out of the top 200. By contrast, China now has 10 universities among the top 500 and a further six from Hong Kong. The IITs are a vibrant part of Indian academic and business life, but the country's conventional universities are weak for anation of India's importance," said Martin Ince, convenor of the Academic Advisory Board for the QS World University Rankings.



Other than the IITs, University of Delhi and University of Calcutta have fallen 80 and 100 notches to stand at 371 and 501 positions, respectively.

University of Mumbai and University of Pune, however, have managed to retain their earlier slots at 451 and 551, respectively.



Internationally, Cambridge University has pipped Harvard University to secure the first rank. Harvard University has topped the table since 2004. "The University of Cambridge was voted the best university for research quality, as selected by over 15,000 academics around the world. Although Harvard was the most popular among the 5,007 employers polled globally, Cambridge edged ahead overall," said QS press office in a media statement.

While Yale University stood on the third position, University College of London secured the fourth position and Massachusetts Institute of Technology climbed from ninth position last year to fifth this year.

"Given the uncertain economic outlook, it is reassuring for students that the Top 200 universities are also, by and large, the most popular universities with employers, suggesting that aworld-class degree remains the best path to a great job," said Ben Sowter, head of research at QS.



QS rankings seek to measure research quality, employability of graduates, teaching commitment and international commitment - all key missions for world-class universities.

QS rankings use a combination of global surveys and audited data including citation counts from Scopus, the world's largest database of academic publishing.



Fact file:

India has 8 universities in the Top 500 institutions, down from 10 in 2009
China has 10 universities in the Top 500 and a further six in Hong Kong
IIT Bombay emerges the top Indian institution, though it drops 24 places
Cambridge University beats Harvard to secure first position for the first time
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) jumps to position 5 from 9
Source: Business Standard